Bad Weather
by glowingfire36
Summary: An extremely hot day and a stormy one. How does Halt and Will deal with the weather? No spoilers.


Disclaimer: This is the only part that makes me angry/sad at the book series. I do not own Ranger's Apprentice. Unfortunately.

Time: Set before Will's first Gathering

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Bad Weather

"Uuuuuuungh..." Will groaned as he dragged his feet forward to retrieve his arrows from his targets.

"What, are you too good to be practicing? Hurry up, boy! The Gathering isn't waiting!" Halt scolded. But in fact, Halt had been thinking the same thing as Will. It was just too hot outside. He felt like he was trying to swim through a boiling pot of oil.

"But Halt," Will whined. "I feel like a pea in out-of-the-pot pea soup." Well, that's another way to describe the feeling. "Halt, I think we should...

"You're an apprentice," Halt interrupted. "You're not ready to think."

"We should go to the beach!" Will said happily, ignoring Halt's comment. Halt contemplated it. On one hand, he could stay here sweltering in his thick cotton cloak _and_ have Will complain all afternoon, not getting any training done anyway. On the other hand, he could sit on the find sand, relax, and maybe cool off somewhere. So which one did he prefer?

"Beach it is, then." Will cheered.

"Really, Halt? Oh thank you so much! I promise I'll train really hard tomorrow!" Will practically ran into the wooden walls of the cabin, such was his excitement that he had forgotten the location of the door.

"He better remember what he just said," Halt muttered. When Will had finally located the door, Halt started doubting whether this was a good idea. He walked into the cabin. Will bounded out of his room, dressed in his swimming shorts, eyes shining excitedly. "Ready?" Halt asked gruffly.

"Aren't you getting dressed, Halt? Don't you want to go into the ocean? Isn't that cloak hot?" Will asked. Halt sighed. Couldn't he have chosen an apprentice that didn't ask three or more questions whenever he opened his mouth? He tugged at his clock. As much body heat as it reflected, he just couldn't stand to not wear it. It was one of Halt's distinguishable features. Not wearing it would just make him feel... un-Halt-like.

"Let's go," Halt said. Will was smart enough not to say anything else, or Halt might change his mind about going.

The beach wasn't far away, just a simple walked through the wood. As the pair cleared the forest, Halt ask, "Will, is it high tide, or low tide?" There's always a chance to train.

"Ah, who cares, Halt? I'm going!" Will ran off. Halt sighed, not for the first time today. Just the sight of the beach could turn an apprentice into a mindless 3-year-old kid. Halt sat down under a maple tree, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. It seemed that all of Redmont was there that day – children splashing in the waves, mothers standing at the short yelling to the children, fathers sitting together, girls drawing in the sand. Even Baron Arald was there with his wife. Although Halt resented that they missed a day of training, he thought Will had been working hard enough to deserve a reward.

Will ran up to him, a toy shovel in hand. "Halt, come on, help me build a sand castle! I'm competing against Horace and his friends. I promise I'll only let you dig the moat, nothing else!"

"Tough luck, boy. I said I would take you to the beach, not play with you and your friends' little games." Will walked away disappointedly. Halt felt a little bit sorry for raining on his parade. But only a little.

When everyone had gone home, Will finally called it a day.

"So, Will," Halt said as they were riding home, "How many hours until sunset?"

"I'm tired..." came Will's reply. Halt expected it. Will had been running around the whole day, nonstop.

"Good, I was thinking you were a limitless bundle of energy. Go wash up and I'll get dinner reading." Halt usually didn't let Will off so easily, but it had been a long day. And the fact that even Will was spent meant that they should really get to bed. They would train hard tomorrow.

The next day, Will awoke to heavy thunder. Raindrops pattered against the window and lightning tore up the sky. Smelling coffee, he made his way to the table.

"So, Will, do you remember your promise from yesterday?" Halt asked.

"What promise? Oh, you mean the one where you dig the moat?"

"No, the one where you said you would train really hard today." Will looked out the window. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud clap of thunder that almost made Halt flinch.

"But Halt, it's pouring outside! You don't expect me to train in this weather!" Will said indignantly.

"Nevertheless," Halt held up his pointer finger, "One should never break one's promises." Halt paused, rethinking. "Well, at least apprentices shouldn't break their promises to their mentors. Go get you arrows now!"

Outside, Halt picked a wide tree to sit under so he wouldn't get rained on. Will stood in a small tree-less clearing, gritting his teeth as he continued target practice.

_Ah, he's going to get soaked in a few minutes_, Halt thought satisfactorily. _This is going to be fun._

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Finally a story where Halt gets his way! Again, reviews are appreciated, especially if you tell me your favorite part! Thanks for reading!


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